André Masson French, 1896-1987
L'entrée du taureau, 1937
Oil on canvas
26 x 67 cm
Signed on the upper left corner
Copyright The Artist
In 1937, André Masson had been living in Tossa de Mar, Spain, since 1934, wanting to escape the rise of the extremes in France. But Franco's arrival in power in...
In 1937, André Masson had been living in Tossa de Mar, Spain, since 1934, wanting to escape the rise of the extremes in France. But Franco's arrival in power in 1936 upset his desire for peace and reopened his personal wounds, stemming from his time as a soldier in the First World War. In his Tauromachies series, produced between 1935 and 1937, which includes L'Entrée du taureau, Masson recovers this emblem of Iberian identity to stand up to Franco.
Masson's works thus became a revolutionary gesture, a means of expression for the artist in his fight against oppression.
The artist renders the action highly dynamic, representing the moment of dramatic action - the entry of the Picador in the arena in a highly cinematic framing.
Masson's works thus became a revolutionary gesture, a means of expression for the artist in his fight against oppression.
The artist renders the action highly dynamic, representing the moment of dramatic action - the entry of the Picador in the arena in a highly cinematic framing.
Provenance
Galerie Simon, ParisCollection David Niven (acteur britanique)
Collection particulière.
Expositions
1992-1993, Zaragoza, Museo Camon Aznar, André Masson en Espagna, 1933-1943, n°16, p. 44, ill. Exposition itinérante: Bilbao, Museo de Bellas Artes; Logrono, Museo de la Rioja; Valencia, Museo de Bellas Artes; Palma de Majorca, Fundacio Pilar et Joan Miro.1999-2000, André Masson: the 1930s (catalogue d'exposition), Salvador Dali Museum, Saint Petersburg (Floride), 01/10-16/01, reproduit p. 23, p.87 2004, Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, André Masson, p. 168, ill.
André Masson: Il n’y a pas de monde achevé, Centre Pompidou-Metz, 30 mars - 2 septembre 2024, (rétrospective), ill. p 114.
Literature
Guite Masson, Martin Masson & Catherine Lœwer, André Masson, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, 1919-1941, Paris, 2010, vol. II, no. 1937*9, reproduit p. 279Camille Morando, Peinture, dessin, sculpture et litterature autour du Collège de Sociologie entre les deux-guerres, 2000, thèse de doctorat Paris IV-La Sorbonne, n°570, ill.